TheCable

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congres (APC) is harbouring criminals.

Reacting to the recall of Abdulrasheed Maina,  the party demanded the sack of Abdulraham Dambazau, minister of interior, and Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF).

Maina, who was the chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, has allegations of fraud levelled against him.

After he was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), he went into hiding and was later dismissed from the federal civil service.

But he was recently reinstated and appointed a director in the interior ministry.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday ordered his dismissal and asked for a “full report” on the circumstances of his recall.

In a statement on Monday, Dayo Adeyeye, spokesman of the PDP, accused the Buhari administration of giving “safe haven to known criminals while hoodwinking Nigerians that it’s fighting corruption”.

Adeyeye said the APC administration appears to have grown a thick skin to constructive criticism as “no sane government, in spite of the open condemnation the party has received from Nigerians over its shielding of criminals, will repeat another one as done in the case of Maina”.

“We demand the immediate sack of the minister of internal affairs, Abdulrahman Dambazau, attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami who have been fingered in the illegal act of restoring Maina to office against good conscience,” the statement read.

“We, therefore, demand the immediate arrest and prosecution of Maina for his atrocities, arrest and prosecution of those who helped him return to the country and got restored to his duty post with promotion added.

“All people of good conscience will not forget in a hurry that Maina, who was given an assignment by the last administration of the PDP to superintend the now defunct Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, dipped his hands into the Jar and helped himself to N100 billion of what he was supposed to safeguard.

“With good conscience at fighting corruption, the PDP Government then, mandated the anti-corruption agencies to perform their constitutional duty. Maina fled, only to resurface in the country four months ago under the Buhari administration.

“While we are growing fatigued shouting ourselves hoarse in protest against nepotism, a clear form of corruption under this administration which has been elevated to state craft, we are appalled that the reinforcement of financial corruption by this government might soon lead to the demise of this nation if the celestial does not intervene.

“We are shocked and sad as well that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with its viable network under the Administration of the PDP has suddenly lost steam to the Point that it wasn’t aware of the Entrance of a high class wanted criminal into the Country until the Media exposed it.

“Nigerians can see that the APC Administration has taken the fire out of our security agencies like the Police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the likes.

“How else can one explain why it took the media to expose the arrival and promotion of Maina by the government before the agencies became aware of his presence in the country. We smell complicity.”